The present invention relates to logic circuit design, and more specifically, to systems, methods and computer program products for converged large block synthesis and structured synthesis for high performance microprocessor designs.
Conventionally, manually intensive custom design has been considered essential to achieving high-performance in microprocessor designs. In addition, for practical reasons, the microprocessor designs are typically partitioned into “macros” small enough for one person to design. The process of completing and checking a macro's physical design is labor-intensive, and does not support the detailed exploration of multiple options. Therefore, almost all physical design follows the completion of high-level design (HLD): the initial logic design and a floorplan establishing the partitioning, size and placement of the macros. Inevitable later logic changes are usually accommodated within the initial partitioning. These decisions are reflected in all aspects of the design process, both technical and organizational (i.e., assignment of resources and project management). The high volume of microprocessors justifies the cost-intensiveness of the manually custom designs.
The conventional manual custom design approach to microprocessor design can therefore be inefficient, preventing high level-optimization and exploration of different design alternatives.